A/U: Sorry again for the delay, still finding my way with the story a little. Hope you enjoy and as always reviews very much appreciated. :)

47

Chapter 10

I had made the right decision. I repeated the mantra for the hundredth time in my head as I sat in the motel room we were staying in, cleaning my pistol. Peregrine was sleeping in one of the twin beds, her slow, steady breathing setting the pace for my ritual. The sound of another person sleeping peacefully in my vicinity had been a strange experience initially. There had been a few times in the four days I had tended to Perry's wound when I had wondered what I was doing exactly. I was in the habit of ending people's lives, not prolonging them. As soon as she woke up however, all doubts flew from mind, even if just for a moment. She was simultaneously the smartest and also the most reckless person I had met. Her undying fearlessness, and determination to take on any challenge presented to her was infectious.

I began to slowly clean and oil the individual elements of my weapon, as I was lost in thought. The task was so familiar to me I could let my mind drift as I completed it. We had left my safe house in Sicily dead on 6pm, Perry had been ready and waiting a rucksack containing some of the clothes I had bought her, the laptop and a pistol I insisted she carry. I had known her long enough now to predict that if there were the slightest whiff of trouble, Perry would likely find it. She had pulled a face as I handed the 45. Caliber to her, the last time she had held one she had shot someone in the head. I could see even after extensive therapy sessions arranged by Diana, the shadow of that first kill was still with her.

Taking the black Audi I kept stored in the garage at the safe house, and leaving the stole, battered and bloodstained Ferrari, we had driven through the night back to Italy and the port town of Brindisi. Seeing that the next ferry to Albania wasn't until morning I had booked us into a small motel near the docks so Perry could rest. Ideally I wouldn't have embarked on such a risky journey with someone that had been shot in the abdomen and only received rudimentary treatment five days ago; but our situation wasn't ideal in any shape or form. I knew if I stayed in Sicily too long the ICA would trace us there, and I wanted to keep that house a firm secret from the agency.

I glanced up from my task to watch Perry's calm face as she slept. It was amazing how vulnerable people became when they rested; her utter trust in me baffled me still. I had never liked the idea of forming relationships with anyone in all my 57 years, I had of course made a few, rare exceptions. Father Vittorio, Victoria and Diana. All of these had been built on necessity and careful, respectful understanding of my need for privacy. But Peregrine had been different right from the start; at first she had been an obstacle, suspicious of my cover and fiercely intelligent, a threat. I had considered disposing of her initially, however Diana's sudden need to tend to Victoria had left me without the tools to complete the contract and the feisty, slightly odd girl became a convenient ally.

My decision to choose her as Diana's replacement had raised a few eyebrows, but I had insisted she was a natural and would easily become an asset to the agency. She had proved me right becoming more than capable at handling her agent and herself, but I found it hard to ignore the nagging feeling I got when I hadn't checked up on the trouble prone girl in a while. I had put it down to feeling responsible for her fate, but the more time I spent with her the more that excuse just didn't fit. Largely I ignored the strange, unfamiliar relationship I had with my handler but in the few times I had watched her come to harm it became impossible to explain away my inexplicable behaviour. I frowned as I started to reassemble my pistol, slotting the pieces together firmly as I let my unwelcome emotions wash over me.

Regardless of what this thing between us was, I had made my bed and I intended to see it through. Peregrine had uncovered something monumental, since my creator's death I hadn't heard of any other cases of Class 1 clones being made. Genetically enhanced humans, yes, Victoria was proof of that but nobody like me. I placed the cleaned pistol on the small table in front of me. It was 4am, we had two hours before the ferry left for Albania. I was just about to get up and change, ready for the next leg of our journey when a loud ping reverberated around the small motel room. Perry snorted loudly and shot upright glaring around her, I struggled to suppress a smirk at her disheveled but fierce appearance.

Her hair was sticking up slightly out of her ponytail and her eyes blinked rapidly trying to adjust to her surroundings as she searched for the source of the noise. I watched as she finally collected herself and reached for the partially closed laptop on the bedside table. I stood up and slowly walked over to her bed as she opened the laptop and began typing furiously.

"Is there a problem?" Her sleep filled eyes flicked to me briefly before returning to the blue glare of the screen. Her brow was furrowed, the tip of her tongue sticking out in concentration. I watched her patiently, seeing the signs of her stress and letting her work. Eventually her typing slowed and she sighed, a small smirk teasing the corner of her mouth.

"It's okay, it was an agency analyst but I threw them off, buys us some more time." She slid the laptop away from her and rubbed her eyes. I shifted slightly on my feet, waiting for her wake up. She moved so her legs were on the worn carpet and sat gazing up at me. Her brown eyes were alert now, a small smile stretching her mouth. "Still not sleeping?"

I shook my head, "No. We'll be leaving in an hour. You sure the agency don't know where we are?" She stood up, she was wearing her shirt and a pair of shorts, she only came up to chin so still had to crane her neck to look at me.

"We're fine. They're just clutching at straws at the moment, I've set the alarm to tell me if they get close but they still haven't got anything solid."

I nodded, satisfied we were still in the clear and decided to change my clothes. I left Perry stretching in the bedroom as I entered the tiny bathroom off from it. Quickly I showered, letting the hot water loosen my muscles, and wrapped a towel round my waist. Peregrine was sat in the chair I had been cleaning my pistol in earlier, staring intently at the laptop screen. Her eyes glanced at me as I re-entered the bedroom and moved over to my briefcase lying on the unused bed. I shot a sideways look at her as I felt her eyes continue to stare at me. She looked away, a red flush entering her cheeks as I caught her staring.

I shrugged on a white shirt and retrieved my tie, beginning to knot it as Perry stood up stretching her arms above her head. "Still nothing from Diana. Are you sure she will want to help? I mean I have completely gone against every bit of protocol the agency has at this point." I adjusted the knot of my tie, and stared at her for a moment.

"Diana and I have been through a lot, and if there's one thing I know about it her, it's that she always does the right thing. She was betrayed by the agency as much as me in Italy, they went behind her back…or someone did. Getting answers will be as high on her list of priorities as ours." She nodded, chewing her lip in thought.

"I never meant to disappoint her." Her brown eyes were filled with concern; it was strange to me how someone who did her job could care so much about people at the same time. She was lost in her own guilt as I glanced at the motel's alarm clock on the bedside table.

"It's half 4. You should get ready." My reminder of our current objective snapped her out of her pensive state, and she purposefully marched into the bathroom. I finished dressing and packed our things away, holstering my pistol inside my suit jacket. She was ready in few minutes, her jeans back on with a fresh dark green and navy checked shirt. She grinned at me as she shouldered her rucksack after stowing the laptop back inside it. The tired, fearful Perry that I had been seeing a few weeks before was gone, she was back to her quick, cheeky self.

We checked out of the motel and drove the short distance to the ferry port. The only other vehicles waiting were a few weary truck drivers, taking their cargo across the border. We sat in silence as we waited for the ferry to start boarding; Perry looked out of the window at the docks as the dawn light illuminated them. This was a strange and new experience for me, having someone accompanying me on a job. True, it wasn't a conventional contract as such, but even when I had gone rogue last time I had left Victoria in the care of others. I had always worked alone, with my handler only giving assistance when required. I stared at the back of my handler's head now as she watched the various dockworkers and truck drivers milling about, her chin resting on her hand. She noticed me looking and turned to me, her cheeks dimpling as she flashed me her easy smile.

"So what's our cover story?" I frowned slightly at her unexpected question. She rolled her eyes at my hesitation. "Well, we're going to have to think of something. People are going to see us together at some point, and we don't exactly look like tourists." She made a good point; we were an odd couple, worlds apart in the way we dressed and acted. I thought for a moment, she watched me as I deliberated. Before I could utter my response she chipped in, a warning tone in her voice. "I'd like to also point out, that despite your age you really don't look old enough to be my father okay?" She had a deadly look on her face, clearly the mere idea of being presented as my daughter pissed her off. She was right of course, my genetics meant that I looked closer to my mid thirties than late fifties, and as Perry was 28 that cover really wouldn't work.

Without a word I got out of the car and opened the boot where our luggage was stored. I remembered storing this in case I needed to stake out any targets and record their movements, retrieving the bag I was looking for I returned to the driver's seat. Perry eyed the bag curiously.

"How do you feel posing as my photographer?" I handed the camera bag to her; tentatively she took it unzipping it to examine the DSLR inside. "I can pass as an investigative journalist and you're my work colleague." She didn't respond, I watch in fascination as she took the old Nikon out and turned it over in her hands, taking the lens off and looking at things I had very little knowledge of. She reminded me of a professional killer getting to know their weapon, there was a familiarity in the way she clicked the lens back into place and looked through the viewfinder.

"Yeah, I guess that could work." She said, squinting through one eye as she focused the lens on me. I stared into the black glass, my expression blank as she pushed the shutter the camera emitting a click and a whirr as she took the picture. Grinning she lowered the camera, I raised an eyebrow slowly at her. "Just like old times eh?"

My mouth twitched slightly, a strange, warm sensation spreading through my chest at her words. The roar of the ferry's engines coming to life made us both look out the front windscreen of the car. The conversation was over and Perry stowed her new camera as I started the car and slowly moved us towards our destination.

…

The ferry rocked violently, as it dealt with the choppy water of the Adriatic Sea. A few of the truck drivers who were walking around the deck stumbled, struggling to stay upright. I adjusted my steps as I walked past them, easily dealing with the unsteady motion of the boat.

The passport control on the Italian's side hadn't been too hard to deal with, once Perry had been given her story she lied smoothly to the customs officer. Giving her something she was familiar with had been my plan, as I knew she would slip easily back into her old role as a photographer. After safely boarding, Perry's stomach began to become too loud for us to ignore anymore and I had gone off in search of something to eat. I had found a small café on the top deck of the ferry that was serving refreshments, a tired young woman handed me a coffee and an Italian pastry in a small paper bag.

The weather was fine today, but the sea was rough due to a strong breeze blowing down the coast. Peregrine was on the upper deck, leaning against a railing outside. She turned to look at me as I approached, the camera bag slung over her shoulder. I had a strong sense of de-ja-vu as I stared at her, an impression of the girl I had met two years ago lingering for a second as I walked forwards. It faded as I reached her, the slightly hardened, wiser Perry replacing her. I handed the pastry to her and she took it gratefully. Leaning next to her on the railing we watched the dark, grey sea flow beneath us. Italy was a distant black smudge on the horizon. We stood together neither of us speaking again, it was something I liked about her; even though she could talk for days if prompted she didn't always feel the need to fill the silence.

After a while lost in my own thoughts, a question I had been meaning to ask surfaced. "How did you find Birdie?" She glanced at me sideways, a look of surprise on her face at me speaking first.

"I saw he had been an informant when the agency were after you and Diana, it didn't take much to track him down. He likes to think he's clever but he doesn't half leave a trail of destruction online. He was what I expected anyway. A bit of a slime ball, but he was easy to manipulate." She shrugged turning back to look at the restless sea. I felt my mouth twitch at her assessment of him.

"Yes, he certainly knows where to look for information, as long as you remember he can't be trusted. He's likely got intel on the ICA just in case he ever feels he needs to blackmail them." She positioned herself so she was facing me, her side leaning against the railing still.

"Why didn't you kill him out of interest?" She asked nonchalantly, I stared at her my eyes narrowing.

"He has his uses, but he can be a liability. It wasn't an easy decision to make, believe me. I am certain I will run into him again in unfavorable circumstances and regret not killing him" She grinned at me.

"Good job I placed a virus on that USB I gave him, which will send his location to anyone with a score to settle, including you." I raised my eyebrows at her as she continued. "It'll trigger if he searches for anything relating to the ICA or us." Her grin turned wolfish as she pulled the pastry I had given her out of the bag. I felt my mouth twist into a smirk.

"You can be really scary when you want to be Peregrine." She winked at me as she proceeded to cram the entire pastry into her mouth. I couldn't stop the snort that escaped me at the sight of her cheeks bulging as she continued to grin at me. "Until you do something like that." I retorted. She chuckled through the pastry threatening to evacuate her mouth, and I shook my head in exasperation as she determinedly finished it.

The journey to Albania would take several hours, so we busied ourselves by preparing for our arrival, Perry sat cross legged on a hard plastic seat the laptop balanced on her legs. She was making sure no one was tracking us and checking to see if Diana had responded yet. I was unsure whether my former handler was going to be able to assist us, the agency would be keeping a close watch on her knowing she would find it hard not to help me. After a few hours I returned to the car, happy to leave Peregrine typing away on the open upper deck. The few truck drivers who had been wandering around had slunk back to their vehicles, unable to handle the unstable footing.

I checked that all my weapons were properly hidden, ready to pass though customs on the other side. The Italian border was always more lenient, it's what comes of having a heavy Mafia presence I assumed. The Albanian border would be a little harder to get through, but I had years of experience getting illegal items past security points, so was hardly concerned. I had just finished checking the car when an icy feeling crawled up my spine. Something was wrong, I had a habit of sensing danger even when I was nowhere near it.

Quickly, I snapped the boot shut and walked swiftly towards the upper deck. My senses were telling me that Perry was in danger somehow, so I made a beeline for where I had last seen her. The hard plastic chair was empty and I pivoted on the spot trying to see where she had gone. The outside was empty, as was the inside near the café where I had bought her breakfast not long ago. It was only then that I realised an eerie quiet had settle over the boat, the only sound was the rumble of the engine and the wet thud as the grey sea slapped against the metal hull.

I paused, letting my senses adjust to the sudden unease. I clenched my fists and relaxed them, listening for any sign of life. My body was on autopilot searching for danger, scanning my surroundings, but there was an unfamiliar weight in my stomach that kept nagging at my focus. I was trying to place where I had felt it before when it came to me. The night Perry and I had infiltrated the home of the Cicada recruiter, Timothy Falon. She had disappeared to meet with him and gather intel, and when I had received the call from Diana that she had been compromised I had rushed to her aid only to find her gone. It had taken a good hour of searching the vast mansion before I had found her bound and beaten in his basement, the whole while that same lead weight had been settling in my stomach. I believed they called it dread.

I tried to brush that sense of dread off now as I slowly and silently made my way back down the metal stairs to the lower deck. Our car was parked away from the other vehicles, separated by a sliding metal door. It was silent down below around the Audi, but I did a sweep of the area anyway, unsure what to expect. The thought of being ambushed on a ferry wasn't an attractive one; there was nowhere to go. This wouldn't usually have been a problem for me, I could fight my way out of any situation if need be, but I wasn't alone this time. The issue of having a partner along was becoming more apparent by the second.

Satisfied the coast was clear around the car I retrieved my pistol and its silencer from where I had stashed it for the border crossing earlier. Screwing the silencer onto the muzzle of the gun I slipped quietly over to the metal door hiding the other vehicles from view. Pressing myself against the cool, galvanized steel I strained my hearing, trying to detect any sounds from the other side. Far in the distance I heard the faintest hint of someone shouting, then I heard a noise that made that lead weight in my stomach increase. The unmistakable sound of Perry crying out.

Without hesitating I opened the small hatch to allow people to get through the partition and advanced on the large trucks positioned at the front of the ferry. I held the pistol behind my back as I snuck up on the nearest truck, I could hear feet scuffling and the occasional exclamation, but Perry had gone worryingly quiet. Gritting my teeth I sped towards the cause of the noise, I peered around the side of the vehicle and saw four truck drivers all gathered around the open door of one of the truck cabins. I could just make out Perry's back bent over the passenger chair, she looked as if she was unconscious as she wasn't moving. The drivers were jostling around her still form; they were talking loudly in Italian, "Quella ragazza è carina."

"Sì, lo vorrei" They burst into raucous laughter. That was enough for me, I didn't want to risk shooting them as I might hit Perry. Extracting her was my first priority to stop them doing whatever they were doing to her, I leapt forward triggering cries of surprise from the boisterous men. They parted as I barrel through them, a deadly look on my face. I reached the cabin and took hold of Perry's shoulder, being careful not to jostle her too much due to her still healing wound.

"Whoa! What the fuck?!" Peregrine's angry shout greeted me as I yanked her towards me and out of the truck's cabin. I had backed away out of the throng of drivers with her clutched against my chest, before I registered my surprise at her being conscious. I saw a discarded laptop on the passenger seat where Perry had just been. Frowning, I became aware of her struggling against my iron grip, the truck drivers were glaring at me probably thinking I was assaulting her. I had obviously wildly misjudged the situation.

One of the men was glancing down to my free hand and I realised my pistol was clearly visible to the volatile crowd. They didn't know I was protecting Peregrine, I could see in their faces they were preparing to take me on. I narrowed my eyes at them, unsure how to defuse the scenario I found myself in. Perry was still pulling against my arm, only a few seconds had past since I had grabbed her but I had already run through every possible outcome if a fight ensued. Eventually I gave in and let go of her, she whirled around to face me barely concealed confusion and fury in her brown eyes.

Speaking in a low, angry voice she stared straight at me as she addressed the men behind her. "Va bene, lui è con me." It's okay, he's with me.

I saw the group relax slightly at her skilfully delivered Italian. The two men who had been talking about her previously exchanged a worried glance, obviously her command of their language was as much a surprise to them as it was to me. I holstered my pistol inside my suit slowly, so as not to aggravate them. Perry turned to face them.

"Scusa il mio amico. Adesso sei computer dovrebbe essere bene." Sorry about my friend, your computer should be fine now. One of the Italians smiled at her, his eyes still flicking nervously to me as he spoke to her.

"Grazie bella signora. Sei sicuro che stai bene?" Thank you beautiful lady. Are you sure you're okay?

She nodded, smiling kindly at the man. Swivelling on her heel I saw the smile drop instantly as she looked at me, a murderous look in her normally cheerful eyes. She shot a light, "Ciao." Over her shoulder as she marched back the way I had come, grabbing my arm as she did. In any normal circumstances she wouldn't have had any success in trying to move me, however with the unexpected situation and the rage emanating from her I decided to oblige her and followed behind. I heard the men start to talk amongst themselves, and resolved to make a hasty exit once we reached the other port.

"Well that was fucking intense." Perry growled through her teeth, still gripping my upper arm. She marched us all the way back to the Audi and then finally released me. Folding her arms she regarded me, I stared at her coolly, unfazed by her anger. "What were you thinking 47? You almost started a fight." I sighed at her; the lead weight which had been troubling me had now turned to irritation.

"Why did you wander off Peregrine?" She shook her head at me viciously.

"Oh no, don't turn this on me. You were the one who just acted like a psycho for no reason." I folded my arms to match her. I didn't know if I was irritated at her or myself, I had gone against all my training and experience, and nearly created an unnecessarily violent situation.

"I thought they had hurt you." My voice was dangerously quiet as I spoke. I saw her resolve falter, the anger in her eyes fading slightly.

"I was helping him with a virus on his laptop. I was being nice." I didn't blink as I continued to stare at her.

"I heard you shouting." Exasperation replaced the annoyance in her expression.

"That was me laughing you crazy, bald bastard. Just because you're not capable of normal emotions, doesn't mean I'm the same." The loud, insistent horn of the ferry cut through our argument. We were nearing the Albania coast. Perry's fight had completely gone now, she unfolded her arms her face a little fearful. I sighed again and relaxed my aggressive stance.

"Please don't do that again Perry. There are dangerous people after us and god knows what ahead of us, and I've already nearly lost you once." Her eyes softened and she looked down at her feet. "If you have to go anywhere, please inform me first." She nodded sheepishly and got into the car, staring out the windscreen.

I rubbed a hand over my face, the excitement of the past few minutes finally leaving my system. I heard the horn sound again and knew we would be disembarking in moments. As I got into the driver's seat I wandered, not for the last time, if I really truly had made the right decision.